Exhaustion
by odalys-ortiz
Summary: John works hard to make sure the numbers are taken care of. Sometimes though, he forgets to look out for his own well-being. Luckily for him, he has someone that cares enough to watch his back. Careese pairing.


Disclaimer: None of this is mine. Property of CBS.

* * *

Exhaustion

"Finch, what's their ETA?" John demanded. He was in a dire situation at the moment and could use all the help he could get.

Harold was frantically typing away at his computer to bring up Detective Carter's GPS position. With a bit of time to scan, his computer brought up the moving red dot. The program performed the calculations before popping up a black box to inform Harold what he needed. "Mr. Reese, they should be at your position in about five minutes." He then heard a loud grunt on the other end of the line.

"Glad to know that they are taking their sweet time!" John replied with irritation oozing from each word.

* * *

This week had been quite a busy one. Ever since accepting the job to help the numbers, John had been accustomed to a certain pattern of how often the Machine would cough up a new person in danger. During the past few months, he had been able to keep up a somewhat busy work schedule with two or three numbers a week. Most of the hours were dulled away when he would do his usual surveillance or tail the person. After wrapping the case up, he would go back to the loft and recharge himself for the next number.

But something odd had happened this week. John could have never suspected that this week wasn't going to be like every other one. Instead of maybe two or three people to watch out for, the Machine had thrown out a new number every day. John never had such a busy schedule before. On Monday, he was given the number of a young woman and began his routine. This woman turned out to be a crooked bank teller who worked with a couple of thugs.

As a person on the inside, she was able to get hard to find information on the security measures so that she and her friends could commit a robbery. John managed to intercept them all with help from Carter and Fusco as they entered the front door of the bank. Caught off guard and confused as to how they were discovered, they turned themselves in without resistance. John managed to get about an hour of sleep that night before he got the call about the next number.

* * *

Tuesday had John following a seemingly innocent accountant through his workday. It seemed simple enough, until John followed the guy into an alleyway where he met a very shady fellow. Using his phone to listen in, it turned out that the guy the accountant was talking to was a hitman for hire. The accountant wanted to start a new life with his mistress. Refusing to go through the hassles of divorce, he thought that murder was the cheapest method to get rid of his wife.

After listening to them making the arrangements for the hit, John let the detectives know what was going on. That night when the number was expecting the end to his marriage, he instead got John showing up at his front door, throwing the unconscious hitman on the floor before recounting everything for his wife to hear. Thankfully Carter and Fusco got there in time, or the wife would have found herself behind bars too for wanting to kill her husband. He only got about a half an hour of sleep when he got home.

* * *

John powered on to day three where he was given the number of an investment banker. It was a very familiar scenario, similar to a kid that he helped last year. Unfortunately this guy was looking to get a quick buck anyway he could. After going undercover as John Rooney once again, the guy mistakenly trusted him after only a few hours and let him in on a scam that allowed him to take investors' money and use it for personal reasons.

He falsified the books so that when questions were asked, none were the wiser. After Harold broke through the firm's firewall and got into the real books, it was a familiar ending as the detectives took the guy in.

Carter asked John if he was alright, noting the tired look on his features. He shrugged it off and reassured her that everything was fine. After everyone responsible was taken in, he went home but he only got another hour of rest.

* * *

The fourth day had him following another woman. She was a veteran nurse at a nearby hospital. Her background record seemed spotless, with given recommendations from well known doctors. To the outside observer, she seemed like the perfect employee. John knew better and after another day of exhausting surveillance, he found out something shocking. It turned out that this woman had a warrant out for her arrest, she was suspected in the deaths of ten of her patients under her care in other hospitals.

During a late night shift, he managed to get close to her by "borrowing" a doctor's coat. Keeping a close distance, he saw as she injected something into someone's IV drip. Asking another nurse on duty, he was told that the patient was just resting and needed no other medication. John managed to take away the bag before the fluids reached the man's bloodstream. Turned out that the woman was given her patients minor injections of a drug to induce a heart attack so that she would seem like a hero when she saved them. The cuffs were on her wrists a half an hour later and John found himself in bed for a measly forty five minutes.

* * *

John was drained when Friday night brought him to a shipping warehouse near the edge of the city, and where he now found himself in his current predicament. The number was a man who seemed to be your typical average Joe. John stayed on his tail for the entire day from when he went to his job as a grocery store clerk to picking up his shoes from a repair store. During the small lulls in the day, John found his eyes drooping every once in awhile but caught himself before he accidentally went to sleep.

He wondered if the Machine had a bit of a glitch to give out so many numbers in a week. It was probably because it was towards the end of the year and people tend to get more violent before the new year.

Later on in the day saw John following the guy to the warehouse. When he got out of the car and went inside through a side door, John waited a moment before following. From the looks of the broken lock, it was definitely unlawful entry.

Tapping the earwig, he informed Finch of the current situation and asked for the Detectives to meet up with him. The ETA was long because of the high traffic so John did a bit more poking around. Once inside, he slipped behind each of the support beams while following the number. Towards the end of the building, there was quite a bit of activity for a place listed as abandoned.

Turned out that the number wasn't alone, he had three of his friends processing what looked to be quite a bit of coke. John tried to be the silent observer until his foot unintentionally hit a tin can, giving his position away. He was surrounded quickly; but the only weapon they had was a pocket knife. Guess they weren't expecting to get caught. John fought them off, trying to keep his concentration. At one point, he took a hard hit to the back of the knees dropping him to the ground.

He attributed his small lapse in judgment to his exhaustion caused by his busy week. He fought through the pain, elbowing the guy behind him in the stomach but wasn't fast enough to block the hit to the face, sending him to the floor. His insides were aflame as he took a hard kick to the stomach. John stopped the second kick, managed to hit the guy's knee taking him out. The number and his two remaining friends ganged up on him and pounded on him for what seemed like ages.

Out of nowhere, he heard a familiar bark before out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bear rush in. throw one of the men to the floor and begin to maul him.

"NYPD, get down on the ground!" Carter's voice rang off the walls as the men looked towards the door. She and Fusco had their 9mm pistols aim at the number and his friends. The guys stepped away from John and got down on the ground.

"Get this fucking dog off of me!" the unfortunate perpetrator yelled.

John sat up, holding back the laugh as he continued to watch the scene before him. "Beneden Bear." At hearing his master's command, Bear released his iron grip and trotted over to John. John scratched him behind the ear how he always liked it and was rewarded with his excited tail wagging. Carter and Fusco got busy cuffing the four criminals.

"How the hell did you find out?" The man who was the number asked. John took his time standing up and his condition was not lost on Carter and Fusco who looked at him strangely.

"Let's just say a little birdie told me." John said before groaning as he felt his stomach clenching. Boy was he going to be sore in the morning. Even Bear looked worried as he watched him move. He tried to dust himself off and began to walk out of the warehouse.

"Hey, are you okay?" He heard Carter ask. John didn't turn around right away. He was actually smiling because once again she was quick to notice something was off about him. Of course he didn't want her to worry about him since she had to bring the perps in.

He turned around and gave her a smirk. "Nothing that a bit of rest won't fix," he joked before turning around and heading out the door. Carter took a step forward to go after him but stopped in her tracks. She knew that something was wrong; but of course John was too stubborn to let anyone know. She jumped slightly as Fusco put a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Go after Wonderboy. I've got things covered here Carter."

She looked over at him strangely. "What are you talking about? You need help to take these guys in."

Fusco looked over at the line of men sitting on the floor before looking back at her. "These guys won't be going anywhere and back up with be here any minute. I know that you're worried about him so go take care of him already."

Joss was definitely caught off guard by Fusco's observation. Was she really that easy to read? She thought that she had a pretty decent poker face, at least until it came to John. For some reason, he has always managed to throw her game off in one way or another. Joss brushed off Fusco's insistence that she go after him. "John's more than capable of taking care of himself. He already acts like a total ass when you worry about him. There's no point on me pushing my way in if he's going to be that stubborn."

"I'm guessing you didn't see the look on his face, did you?"

Joss's expression changed to one of confusion, as she wondered what he was talking about.

"When he was near the door and you stopped him, he genuinely smiled from where I was standing. I'm guessing that he wouldn't mind as long as it was you worrying about him. I don't know if I want to know what's going on with the two of you but just get him to sleep already."

"You are imagining things as always Fusco. Either way, I think I am going to try to pay him a visit." Joss reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone, dialing a familiar number while watching Fusco looking over the area. "Hey Finch, I need to ask you something…"

* * *

"Home, sweet, home" John uttered ironically when he finally got back to his expensive apartment. His body seemed to move on auto pilot as he stripped himself of his jacket and arsenal before throwing himself onto the plush leather couch. He draped his right arm over his eyes while his left rested on his stomach. He thought that maybe he could relax for the tiniest of moments before he would be called upon again to run around New York.

That look of concern on Carter's face was all he could think about. She was always one to look after other people. He knew that from the way she asked him if he needed any help when they first met. She knew he was in trouble and she had tried to reach out to him. It was something that came naturally to her. It might have been attributed to her being a Detective and a mother; caring for other people came with the territory. Tonight was no different. After the altercation, he knew that he couldn't fool her since this had been the second time he seemed to have been slipping this week. John tried to brush it off, glad that she had cared enough to ask on both occasions.

Now he just laid there, feeling the bruising from his fight, but he was just too spent to bother cleaning his wounds. Most normal people would be demanding raises for all of their overtime work. Luckily for John, he was not normal. Harold had been paying him generously, to which he would use to help people he met during his time on the streets or getting a gift for Han. John couldn't complain. He was glad to have a job that gave him a reason to live again.

Just as he was thinking about maybe asking for that raise after all, there was a soft knock at his door. Pulling his arm away from his eyes, John was dumbfounded. It was way too late for Harold to be making a visit. Groaning as he sat up, the knocking continued. His suspicions were raised as he got up and walked over to the door. Checking the peephole before grabbing his gun, he was surprised to see the five foot four, dark haired woman that had haunted his thoughts mere moments before. There was another knock before he decided to undo the locks.

He couldn't help but smile as he opened the door. "Detective, to what do I owe the visit?"

Joss stood there for a moment to examine him. John's bruises didn't look like they had been cleaned yet and he looked exhausted. She knew it! There was something wrong. "Look before you get the wrong idea, let me get what I have to say out. Can I come in?" John noticed that she had a brown bag in one hand before ushering her inside. She couldn't help but give out an impressive whistle. "Damn John, you have a better place than mine. Remind me to help Finch more often.

John chuckled at the remark. "Want me to take your coat?" He offered. Despite the dropping temperature outside, the apartment was warm enough that you didn't need to put on layers. He watched as Joss shimmed out of her coat and gave it to him to hang near the door. She was still in her work clothes which consisted of her usual blouse, slacks, and boots with her hair let down. He noticed the red blouse she was wearing complimented her skin beautifully. She was still holding the brown bag and he couldn't help but be curious as to its contents. He showed her to the living area where they each took a seat on separate couches.

Carter continued on from earlier. "I know that this was pretty surprising to you. I'm sure that you don't get many guests."

"Only Finch really. I'm guessing that he's the one that gave you the address."

"It's not like you were going to tell me anytime soon."

John offered Carter a tired smirk. "What makes you think that?" When her expression became irritated, he knew that she wasn't in the mood for games. "I would have asked you over eventually. Either way, since you decided to unexpectedly drop by, I'm curious as to your reason." He wanted to play it cool, maybe try to calm the worries that brought her here.

"Look, I'm sorry for barging in on you like this but tell me the truth. What's been going on with you? You seemed off this week. You didn't even clean the bruises on your face yet," she pointed out. She then smiled softly at him. "I'm not going to stop pestering you until you spill the beans."

John just tilted his head to the side slightly and gave Joss a small smirk, something that always caused her heart to skip a beat, as much as she didn't want to admit it. She kept her composure as she kept her word and asked again. "All joking aside John, are you okay? You can tell me anything. I won't think any less of you."

John couldn't help but notice the tone of voice she used was similar to when they first met. It was that voice that told him that he could to trust her then and he decided to indulge her this time. "Well my week has been pretty much packed with work. I haven't exactly had enough time to just get some sleep."

A look of realization crossed her face. "So I was right when I noticed you looked tired. How many hours did you get?"

John reached up and placed a finger under his chin as he did the math. "I think I got about maybe four or five hours…total." He almost regretted telling her when he saw Joss's eyes widen. He knew that he was in for it.

"Are you insane!? No wonder you look half dead. What is wrong with you?" He just shrugged his shoulders. "John, you're not a superhero. You can't do all of this by yourself. Why didn't you just tell Finch that you wanted some sort of break? You could have been really hurt today." Joss knew that she was sounded like a mother but she couldn't help it. She was upset over the reason why John had gotten his ass kicked by those guys in the warehouse.

"I didn't want to hassle you guys with the work of watching the number." He noticed the look of disbelief on her face. "Carter, you and Fusco have your own lives and cases to deal with. You don't need this on your shoulders too. I asked you and Fusco for your help but I don't want this to get in your way."

"Pffft, as if it would be that much of a hassle compared to the stuff we normally see. John, it's worth it to help you if it means that it keeps another body off the street." Joss found a bit endearing that he had put their priorities first but it hurt him quite a bit this week.

John brushed his hand lazily in the air. "I'm sure that this busy week is coming to an end. The weather is getting colder so the bad guys wouldn't want to freeze their asses." He then decided to asked about the bag. "Is that something for me?"

Joss pulled the bag into her lap and opened up. "Well it's more for both of us. I decided to pick this up because you're right, the weather is starting to act up." She looked behind him towards the large pane windows. "It looks like it started to snow." John looked back and saw the falling white drops outside. "Anyway, I thought that you could use this to warm you up." She reached inside and pulled two brown cups and put them on the table. Discarding the bag, she handed one over to John as she opened the slip to hers. "It's hot chocolate from the bakery down the street. Thought that maybe you would like it."

Watching her drink, John mimicked her and took a small sip. The rich taste of cocoa and milk touched his taste buds along with a hint of cinnamon and mint. He was quite surprised that he enjoyed it since he didn't usually allow himself the luxury of something so simple. His fridge was almost barren except for the bare essentials to get him through the day.

"You like it?" She asked timidly. John couldn't help but noticed that she was a bit out of character all of a sudden. He liked this side of her. Granted he liked the hard ass by the book cop that he knew her to be. It was nice to see her as just Joss, the woman and who he considered a good friend. He wished that they could be more than just friends but pushed that thought in the back of his head.

John nodded his head at her question. "I will be sure to drop by there when I have the time." He put his hand over his mouth to cover the loud yawn that escaped. "Sorry about that. It was rude to do it in front of lady" he said jokingly.

"Whatever" she responded, noticing that he was visibly relaxing with every sip that he took. The truth was that Joss had bought these in the past for her son who had a hard time sleeping when he was younger. They would do what her and John were doing now and chat over their drinks until he fell asleep and she tucked him in.

It didn't take him long to down the drink. Joss was happy that he even finished it because she was worried if he would push her away for trying to just be with him in a casual sense. She hadn't been spending much time with him and in all honest, she did feel terrible. She learned a long time ago that when John Reese had friends, which was few and far between, he would do his damnest to protect them.

He leaned forward to put the empty cup on the table, pulling her out of her thoughts. Looking at his face, she noticed that his blue eyes seemed a tiny bit brighter. Joss loved seeing this side of John and couldn't help but smile. "What is amusing you Detective? Didn't think that a man my age could enjoy a cup of hot chocolate?

"Hey, don't put words in my mouth. I'm happy that you enjoyed it and hopefully it'll help you get some sleep."

"Thank you for the kind gesture Carter but I'm sure that Finch will just have me out and about in a matter of 'yawn' minutes."

Her face grew grim at the thought as she looked at the snow outside. Surely Finch knew what was going with John. Then again, John tends to be quite private even from his friends. He didn't like to have people fuss over him. This got her thinking how come he let her do all this for him, not like she minded. She began to voice her concerns. "John, I think…" the sight before her left her speechless.

John's eyes were closed as he laid back against the couch. His body relaxed and his hands laid in his lap.

Joss had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing at how silly this all was. The infamous vigilante John Reese looked so sweet while he was sleeping. She decided to leave him be and head on home. She got up and grabbed their empty cups, tossing them in a nearby bin. Before reaching for her jacket, she remembered something John said earlier. Joss wasn't too keen on the idea of Finch calling John now that he was finally getting some rest.

Knowing where he kept his earwig from all the times she had seen him use it, Joss tiptoed back over to him as not to wake him. From behind the couch, she could see the plastic device inside his right ear. She reached over slowly, holding her breath when he started to stir. Joss took a shot when he calmed down and managed to nab the device from his ear. Mentally patting herself on the back, Joss went over to the kitchen counter to leave it for him to easily find when he woke up.

She was slightly startled when it began to vibrate. Realizing that it was a call, she frantically tried to figure out where his phone was. Guessing a location, she went over to where his coat hung next to the door, she searched the front pockets and successfully found it in his left pocket. Recognizing the number, she unlocked the phone and answered. "Carter…"

There was silence on the other end for a few moments before Finch spoke. "Detective, I was unaware that you were still with John. Is he in any danger?"

She noted the slight nervousness in his voice as she looked over at John's sleeping form. "Nope, he's fine. Are you calling about another case Finch?"

"Actually yes." Joss hid the sigh, knowing that John had been right. "I have received information that another person may be in danger and need Mr. Reese to start the surveillance."

She smiled as she thought of something. "John isn't really in any shape to do anything. He's sleeping right now. Did you know that he slept for only four hours this week?" She wasn't angry at Finch. She just wanted to make him aware of how much John actually cared about his work.

"That is quite unfortunate." Despite his professional voice, she could tell that Finch was caught slightly off guard by the information. "I was unaware that Mr. Reese would go so far. If he had said something, I would have found other techniques to do the job."

"Well how about you give me the name and I help you out. I don't have any big cases to work on so I can do some tailing." Joss watched as John began to slip further in the couch. Yup, she would definitely do this if it meant he could rest.

"That would be much appreciated Detective Carter. Give John my regards. I will send the information to your phone now."

Joss bid Finch farewell before disconnecting and shutting off the phone. She went back to the kitchen and put the phone next to the earwig. She found a nearby pen and paper and wrote a quick note to John letting him know what she did. "Now he can rest without a care in a world" she said to herself. She knew that he would be a bit annoyed with her but at the same time appreciate the gesture of letting him get some sleep.

The note was left on the counter and Joss knew she had one more thing to do before she could go home. Spotting a closet a bit away, she tip toed her way passed the couch and looked inside, finding quite a huge surprise inside. Her eyes widen at the large arsenal of guns that were hidden inside before looking over at John. "Why am I not that surprised" she questioned to herself while shaking her head and rolling her eyes. She closed the doors securely before making her way to another closet. Opening it up, she sighed in relief that she found the linen closet. She wasn't sure if she could handle another surprise. Joss gathered a thick, wool blanket and draped it over John's body, engulfing him.

Satisfied that he would be alright, she grabbed her things. Opening the door, she took one last look at the lounging vigilante before closing the door behind her.

* * *

_Normally his dreams were littered with death. The scent of dried blood and decaying bodies was all he could remember from back then. Sometimes he found that he didn't want to remember so he would try to sleep as little as possible. Tonight it was different._

_The scent of lavender from her skin invaded his senses as the warm water relaxed his sore muscles. John smiled as he looked down at the woman wrapped in his arms as they enjoyed the comforts of a warm bath while the snow was falling outside. He knew that this wasn't real. John was content however because it wasn't just another horrible memory from the CIA. He leaned down and nuzzled the tender spot under her ear, causing a giggle to escape her lips._

"_You are getting a bit playful, aren't you John?" she asked, turning her head towards him as a smile graced her features._

_He returned her smile before she turned back around. "Well, I don't really know what to do. I know that this is a dream, not that I'm complaining, especially when you're here."_

_She giggled again, the water rippling all around them. "I just want to make sure you get some sleep. Don't worry about the real world right now." She turned her body to press the side of her face into his chest, resting over his heart. "Just close your eyes John. I'll take care of you."_

_Looking down at her, John wanted to say more, but knew she was right. He didn't know if he would get another chance to recharge like this and decided to take her advice. Closing his heavy eyes, he gripped her a bit tighter, understanding that she wouldn't be there in the morning as much as he wanted her to be._

_The next time he saw Joss, he would thank her for giving a damn about him._

* * *

A/N: These two are just too adorable for words. I don't know how many of us will be alive after the scene this Tuesday but I'm excited nonetheless. Thank you SWWoman for the beta. As always you are awesome.


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